Prevention of complications - proper diet
Diet is an integral part of therapy for diabetics and plays very important role in it. It is a source of energy which is used by our body for psychic and physical activities. Excessive amount of food leads to increased body mass and in diabetic patients moreover to increase in glycemia.
General rules are: eat regularly, smaller portions and don't eat up leftovers.
Diabetics must restrict in their diet not only sugars, but also lipids - diet has to be balanced concerning all components of food - sugars, protein, lipids, water, vitamins, minerals, microelements and fibrous materials.
Sugars
Sugars are either simple - such as glucose and fructose (fruit - beware of sweet fruit - it increases glycemia quickly and markedly!), and saccharose - these are not suitable for diabetics (beet sugar and cane sugar); or polysaccharides (so-called slow sugars - starch of plant origin: mealy products, vegetables) - these are most suitable ones for diabetic diet (they are digested slowly and thus glycemia rises gradually) and they should form about 50% of daily energetic intake.
Proteins
Proteins serve in organism as building material and are therefore very important in the diet. However, it is necessary to choose among them. Proteins of plant origin are more suitable (pulses, vegetables), lower portion should be of proteins of animal origin (lean meats, milk products). Proteins should form about 10 - 20% daily energetic intake in the diet.
Lipids
Restrict lipids in your diet markedly; use raw vegetable oils as salad dressing. Total daily energetic ration in your diet should be maximally up to 30%.
Water
Drink water according your needs, at least 2 litres daily (most suitable drink for diabetics)
Minerals and vitamins
Minerals and vitamins are present in vegetables and in mixed, diversiform diet; if you drink mineral waters, choose those ones with low content of sodium (Na+)
Fibrous materials
Fibrous materials are polysaccharides from cell wall which are not cleaved by digestion enzymes (simply said: indigestible rests of food). They lower plasmatic level of cholesterol, act against constipation, they should be present in daily diet considerably (pulses, vegetables, fruits, wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholemeal pastries …).
What to avoid
You should avoid sweets (cakes, very sweet fruits, sweet drinks, stewed fruits, chocolate, etc.), fat meats (port, mutton, duck, goose, etc.), smoked sausages, fat fish (salmon, eel, and sardines), fat milk products (cream yogurts, fat cheeses, cream, etc.) and alcohol (especially sweet liqueurs, beer, distilled alcohols and sweet wines).
During your first steps of diet modification, diet nurse will be your best advisor. She will make you acquainted with recalculation of nutritional values of foodstuffs to exchangeable (bread) units and she will help you to compile your daily diet according your specific needs.
